Monday, April 26, 2021
“Totally inappropriate”
DFB boss compared vice with Nazi judge
The top of the DFB is considered divided. At a meeting of the presidium, however, DFB boss Keller misjudged the tone. He compared his vice cook with the Nazi judge Freisler. According to the DFB, Keller has now apologized for it.
According to media reports, DFB President Fritz Keller compared his Vice President Rainer Koch with Nazi judge Roland Freisler. This was reported by “Bild” newspaper and “Spiegel” in unison about the 64-year-old from Freiburg. The German Football Association did not comment on details, but confirmed an apology from Keller.
“Sometimes words fall in controversy that should and should not be allowed to fall. I apologized to Rainer Koch personally and in writing for this,” Keller was quoted as saying. “He is big enough to accept the apology, for which I am grateful. Especially with regard to the victims of National Socialism, the comparison was completely inappropriate. I regret this very much and will choose my words wisely in the future.”
Freisler, who died in 1945, was a participant in the Wannsee Conference and was one of those responsible for organizing the Holocaust and later president of the notorious People’s Court, where he sentenced around 2,600 deaths, including those against the “White Rose” resistance group.
The long-time DFB Vice Koch is a criminal judge at the Munich Higher Regional Court. The incident is said to have occurred at the presidium meeting last Friday. According to “Spiegel” information, DFB General Secretary Friedrich Curtius then reported to the association’s ethics committee. The DFB did not want to comment on this. The top of the association has long been considered divided and has a massive leadership crisis.
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